Two Conversations
by CharmHazel
Summary: We all know that it was Hermione's advice that helped Ginny become the girl that Harry fell in love with, but just what was said?
**A/N: This is the first of a series of one shots I will be publishing which cover the final three books and a variety of moments to do with Harry and Ginny's relationship. Couldn't resist doing this one, so I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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August 1994 – The Burrow…..

Ginny stood just outside her bedroom, muttering to herself.

"If you are ever going to stop blushing and stuttering in front of him, then you need to ask her advice," she said under her breath.

She had been placed in Gryffindor for a reason and it was time to draw on the courage that had helped sort her into that house. She needed advice and she needed it before he turned up at The Burrow. Steeling herself for the conversation she was about to initiate, she took a deep breath, opened the bedroom door and stepped inside.

"Hey Hermione," she said.

"Hey Ginny," the older girl replied as she turned from where she was sat on a camp bed.

"Erm…..can I ask you your advice on something please?" she asked as she crossed the room and sat down on her own bed facing Hermione.

"It depends on what it is about. I can try my best though," Hermione responded, seeing an opening for the two girls to forge a friendship.

"Well…..it is more like WHO this is about."

Hermione looked at the young red head for a moment before it clicked into place what she was about to be asked.

"Do you want my advice on a boy?" she asked carefully.

Ginny simply nodded.

"Is this about Harry?" Hermione continued.

Ginny couldn't help but blush as she nodded yet again.

"Oh Ginny," Hermione cried as she moved to sit by Ginny and pull her into a hug. "Of course, I will give you some advice about him. He is my best friend, so if anyone can help you, it should be me."

The witches pulled apart and moved into more comfortable positions, facing each other on the bed.

"I know that you know," Ginny started as a blush began to spread across her cheeks yet again. "I know that he knows. To be honest, I think everyone knows that I have this huge, debilitating crush on him."

Hermione smiled at the younger witch's honesty.

"Obviously I still like him. I like him a lot in fact," Ginny paused to take a deep breath to calm herself. "But the problem is that he is never going to actually notice me as anything more than Ron's little sister."

Ginny stood up and started pacing as she poured out her frustrations.

"It doesn't help that I still blush furiously whenever I am around him. It doesn't help that I can barely string a sentence together if he speaks directly to me!"

Ginny shook her head in frustration and sighed before sitting back down on her bed, her shoulders slumped in resignation.

"To be honest," she whispered, making Hermione lean in just so she could hear her. "Right now, I would just love to be his friend, even if nothing ever happens between us."

Ginny sat in silence as she watched Hermione deliberate over what to say. However, Ginny could see that she had the same look on her face that she would get when she was thinking about what would help in an attempt to solve a puzzle.

"Ok," Hermione eventually responded. "I think your problem comes back to two specific issues."

"Ok?" Ginny slowly said.

"The first issue is that you are never yourself around him," Hermione started to explain. "I've seen how you act when he's not around and you are a confident and bubbly witch!"

Ginny opened her mouth to protest, but the older witch just cut her off.

"I know, I know," Hermione sighed. "You are unable to talk to him. I think if you look at it carefully, you would realise that you do talk in front of him when your brothers are about, even if it is not directed at Harry himself."

Ginny thought about it and realised that she was right. She had begun talking around Harry, but just not directly to him.

"If you were to loosen up and relax around him," Hermione continued. "Then maybe, just maybe, he would be able to get to know the real you."

"That's easier said than done, Hermione!" Ginny huffed. "How am I supposed to do that?"

Hermione smiled at Ginny.

"What you need to do is move on and find a way to get on with your life," she said gently, knowing she was asking the impossible of Ginny right now. "You need to stop worrying about what Harry thinks of you. Perhaps you should consider dating other boys."

Ginny stared at Hermione in disbelief. She didn't think she could just move on from Harry, but at the same time, dating other boys could have its merits.

"Ok," she slowly replied. "I suppose that does make sense. But you did say there were two issues. What is the second one?"

"Well, yes, it's, umm….." Hermione stammered, not wanting to offend Ginny with what she was about to say. "You see, the issue is your perception of Harry."

Ginny gaped at Hermione. She tried to make sense of what she had just been told, but it just left her confused.

Hermione sighed. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think right now your crush is not on Harry himself. At least, not the real Harry."

Ginny furrowed her brow in concentration as she thought about what Hermione had suggested. It seemed to make sense, especially considering she didn't really know Harry all that well.

"I think I get what you are saying, but go on."

Hermione nodded as she thought about how to phrase what she wanted to say.

"Ok, so when you first met Harry, to you he was still this story, fantasy, myth or whatever it is you want to call it. You had already developed this crush on him based on the stories you were told growing up. In all honesty, it was not a very realistic standpoint to have of him."

"It wasn't, was it?" Ginny responded, shaking her head in disbelief that she had ever felt that way about him. "Obviously I know better now."

Hermione gave her a sad smile.

"Harry saved your life in the chamber and that made you view him in a different light. He became what he had been in the stories you were told, a hero. But in this case, he was YOUR hero."

Ginny stiffened at the mention of the Chamber of Secrets incident, knowing her crush was what led to Harry risking his life for her.

"It helped to squash the fantasy," Hermione continued, not noticing Ginny's reaction. "But it did so by making it a reality for you."

Ginny nodded in agreement with what Hermione had said.

"And because I saw him as a hero, and still do in a way, my crush, my feelings are still not on the real Harry," Ginny concluded.

"Exactly," Hermione responded, pleased that the youngest Weasley had understood what she had said. "Can I be honest with you about one more thing?"

Ginny nodded.

"I really do think that if you and Harry got to know each other properly, then you would, could become good friends with each other," Hermione said. "Maybe he might even fall for you and you could fall for the real Harry. I don't know, but it could happen."

"That would be nice," Ginny sighed, a dreamy smile on her face.

"I don't want you to get your hopes up though," Hermione said bluntly, causing Ginny to snap back to reality. "Because even if he was to fall for you, I still think it is going to be some time before anything could happen between the two of you."

"But that doesn't mean I cannot dream that it will!"

Hermione smiled at Ginny's optimism. "That is true!"

Ginny sighed, shaking the dreams from her head. "Thank you for the advice, Hermione."

"You are very welcome, Ginny."

The two witches gave each other a hug, before climbing into their beds to go to sleep.

 **HP &GW**

August 1995 – Grimmauld Place…..

Hermione had just finished filling Ginny in about what had been discussed downstairs in the kitchen after the young red head had been forced to leave by her mum. Thinking of the conversation they'd had the previous summer, she thought now would be a good time to find out if her advice had helped.

"So Ginny….." Hermione said, capturing the younger witch's attention again.

"Yes Hermione?" Ginny responded, turning to look at her from where she was sat on her bed.

"Do you want to tell me what is going on between you and one Michael Corner?" Hermione said teasingly.

Ginny blushed, causing her to duck her head in embarrassment.

"Are you two…..dating?" Hermione asked carefully.

Ginny looked up at the older witch, with a small smile on her face and nodded. "He finally asked me out a few weeks before the end of the school year."

Hermione furrowed her brow as she thought back over the past year, confused about what Ginny had just told her.

"But I thought you met him at the Yule Ball?"

"Yes I did, but nothing really significant happened that night," Ginny explained. "I mean, yes we did dance together for a couple of songs and he definitely made me feel special, but he wasn't my date for the evening, Neville was. I didn't think it would be fair to Neville to spend my time with someone else."

Hermione smiled at her friend's thoughtfulness.

"That does make sense," Hermione said in agreement. "But why did it take so long for him to ask you out?"

Ginny looked down as she played with the duvet with her fingers as she thought about how to answer the question.

"That was me not being ready for a boyfriend," Ginny said, looking back up. "I didn't think it was fair to him if I dated him while I had a crush on Harry. Instead, Michael took the time to get to know me before asking me out."

"So does that mean you are now over your crush on Harry?" Hermione quietly asked.

Ginny felt herself blush even more furiously than when she admitted that she was now dating Michael.

"Yes, no…..I don't know," Ginny admitted, still confused over her feelings for the black haired, green eyed wizard.

Hermione cocked an eyebrow at her answer. "What does that mean?"

"Well, you see…..obviously I took your advice and moved on like you told me to," Ginny nervously explained. "I do like Michael, but just not as much as I like Harry. I know I said it wouldn't be fair to date Michael while I still had these feelings but I enjoy the time we spend together and I figured that my feelings for each of them will change in time."

"Well, you have obviously moved on enough as you have managed to talk to Harry with no problems earlier this evening when he arrived," Hermione smiled, proud of the young witch's progress.

"I know," Ginny smiled back, pleased with her interaction with Harry. "But it is like you said to me last year, I needed to change my perception of him and I did. I managed to do that especially in the past few months."

"What helped change it for you?" Hermione asked, even though she had a feeling she already knew the answer.

"The Tri-Wizard Tournament did," Ginny sighed, hating that a tragic event had been a positive influence on how she viewed Harry. "It was like each and every task tore apart my perception I had of him, bit by bit. But it was when he arrived back clutching Cedric's body that really did it. My perception of him was completely shattered that night. I'd never seen Harry as vulnerable, as shattered and as broken as I did in June."

"I know what you mean," Hermione said sadly as she thought of the pain her best friend must have been feeling that awful night. "To be honest, I can't say I am surprised that he was so angry with us all when he arrived here, especially after everything he has been through."

The two witches sat quietly for a few minutes as they contemplated what their friend had been through over the last year.

"Anyway," Ginny said, moving the conversation along. "Despite all that has happened I really do hope that Harry and I can become actual friends now. With the Ministry treating him as they are at the moment, he is going to need as many friends as he can possibly get."

"That is very sensible and mature of you to say, Ginny," Hermione said as she shook her head in disbelief that this was the same witch she was talking to about Harry last summer. "I've no doubt that you two will become great friends. I know he'll appreciate your support."

"Can I ask one favour of you though?" Ginny asked, knowing the conversation was coming to an end.

"Of course, you can," Hermione replied. "Anything you ask."

"I really want my brothers and everyone else to stop teasing me about Harry," Ginny explained. "But I don't want them to know I still have any sort of feelings for him. So if anyone, and I really mean anyone, asks, can you please just say that I have moved on. No one needs to know that I haven't exactly given up on him."

Hermione went over and hugged the youngest Weasley. "I can do that, no problem."


End file.
